SINGAPORE - Does rubbing a hard-boiled egg on a bruise work? Will applying salt to an ulcer help it heal faster?
Earlier last week, a man made the news when he applied an old wives' tale to help a friend scalded by a pressure cooker.
To relieve his friend's pain, he cracked an egg on the man's back, only to make it worse.
Mani, believed to be an Indian national, is said to have kept screaming throughout the ordeal at Ayesha's Kitchen - a shop at industrial canteen Food Hub at Enterprise Hub, 48, Toh Guan Road East, in Boon Lay.
Medical professionals The New Paper spoke to said an egg is not a good idea.
Dr Clarence Yeo, a general practitioner at Killiney Family and Wellness Clinic, said: "It's unusual, but there's no medical evidence to prove that eggs, toothpaste or vinegar do help burns.
"The best method is to use cold water to try and reduce the temperature of the person's skin. Using an egg may help cool the burnt skin, but I wouldn't recommend it."
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) physician Tan Say Leong, who has been practising since 1988, also said the use of an egg could have led to infection.
"You don't know how much bacteria could be on the egg or any other household item that you may think of using," he said in Mandarin.
So what's safe and what's not? Benita Aw Yeong investigates popular home remedies with the help of a doctor and a TCM practitioner, to separate myth from fact.
Get The New Paper for more stories.